The Wanderer's Gift
by MZephyr
Summary: RanmaxAkane. Christmas should be a time of happiness. Perhaps the right gift will help, even if it comes from someone unexpected.


**The Wanderer's Gift  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Christmas should be a time of happiness. Perhaps the right gift will help, even if it comes from someone unexpected.

Warning. Although I hope this story leaves you with a warm feeling at the end, this is not your typical waffy, sugar saturated Christmas story. So please don't come in expecting it to be such.

* * *

Akane Saotome, a master of Anything Goes Martial Arts, owner and sensei of the Tendo Dojo together with her husband Ranma Saotome, came back into the house following her afternoon class. She was mopping sweat from her forehead and cursing the unusually warm weather they had been having this December. Thankfully, the weatherman promised that a cold front would be coming through sometime before Christmas. That was now just a few days away, and she tried hard not to scowl as her eyes deliberately passed over a calendar hanging on the wall. 

As she entered the family room, though, the sight of her husband cleaning a mess off of the low table brought a smile to her face. "He" was currently a "she," a red-haired, buxom woman. Due to the curse he'd acquired more than a decade ago, Ranma changed gender at the touch of water, female for cold water, male for hot. With the passing of years, both of their attitudes toward his curse had faded to the point where they now regarded it as mostly an annoyance, and occasionally a bit worse.

Akane shook her head over the mixture of liquid and orange pulp on the table, not to mention the damp condition of Ranma's shirt. "What happened in here? Did an orange explode?" she asked dubiously.

Ranma looked up and gave a half-hearted grin. "Pretty much, actually. I gave Hitomi a snack, an orange and some apple juice. Don't ask me why she wanted juice with an orange, I just humored her. Ryuma said something unpleasant when he stormed through. She got angry and squeezed the orange in one hand, the juice box in the other. They both pretty much exploded - y'know, there are times I wish our kids didn't take after us so much, especially in strength. Anyway, at least half the juice ended up on me, naturally. I told her to go take off her messy clothes in the furoba, and I'd be there in a minute to wash her up."

Akane sighed. Ryuma and Hitomi normally got along fairly well, but occasionally their son, who had recently turned seven, showed a real flair for making his three year old sister lose her temper. "You said he stormed through? Did he give you any clue why he was upset?" she inquired.

Her husband's expression went flat. "Yeah," he replied in a monotone. "Seems some kids at school were teasing him again about having a daddy who's a mommy. I'm glad the break starts tomorrow. He'll be able to get away from that crap for a while."

Akane turned her worried eyes toward the ceiling and Ryuma's bedroom beyond. "He's going to have to get used to this at some point, Ranma. He's got another eleven years of school to go. Plus next term, if you want to be picky."

"I know," Ranma half growled. "Doesn't mean I like the idea. Hitomi's going to face the same thing in her turn, and don't try to tell me that girls tease less than boys."

His wife shook her head, her face sad. "No. If anything they're worse." She paused briefly, but no new ideas came to her. Ryuma had been putting up with such teasing since a month into the school year, when his father had picked him up at school and was accidentally splashed by a mop bucket. The teachers did their best to control it, but couldn't stop the troublemakers entirely.

Putting the problem aside once again, Akane told him, "I'd better go check on Hitomi. Heaven knows what trouble she's gotten into in the changing room by now, even with locks on the cabinets and the door to the inner room.

Ranma chuckled. "Yeah. If she's any clue to what you were like at that age, then your mom deserves to be nominated for sainthood, and your dad's emotional troubles are a lot more understandable." He barely ducked Akane's fist, and failed to avoid the followup leg sweep, although an acrobatic twist in midair allowed him to land safely on fingertips and toes. He flipped back to his feet and they continued down the hall.

They stepped into the changing room to find their daughter, still dressed in her messy outfit, pulling all of the dirty clothes out of the bin waiting for laundry day. Ranma scooped her up and soon had her in the bathing room, washing the sticky mess off of both of them, while Akane returned the clothes to where they belonged.

Akane stepped into the inner room to hear Ranma asking, "... and do you understand why we don't squeeze our juice box, now?"

"Yes, daddy," she replied meekly. Then she looked up and spoke very determinedly, "But oniisan ..." -1-

Ranma put his finger on her lips to silence her and sighed. "I know, I know. But you still don't squeeze things that aren't meant to be squeezed. Right?"

His daughter regarded him stubbornly, not answering. Ranma shook his head then turned to his wife. "I don't seem to be making much headway here."

Akane gave him a smile. "I'll give it another shot, later." She held a towel open in front of her, and spoke to her daughter, "Okay, Hitomi, come on over here and let mommy dry you off. Daddy needs to hop in the furo and change back." She wrapped Hitomi in the towel and started rubbing the girl vigorously.

As Ranma sank into the hot water and resumed his male form, he asked, "So how did class go today? I'm betting they were a bit distracted, what with school ending today and Christmas so close."

A brief pained look crossed Akane's face, and Ranma noticed it with a wince. She thought back over the recent session, then told him, "I think that Hinata-kun is about ready to move up to your advanced class. Or at least, he has the technical skills. He could use a little more discipline. He tends to slack a little when he thinks he can get away with it."

"You think it might help if I talked to him about it?" Ranma offered.

Akane considered this. "Maybe ... not. Rather, he'd probably clean up his act for only a little while. It would be better if we could make him understand that his attitude will hurt him in the advanced class _before_ we put him in that class. Rather than trying to fix it after."

Ranma thought some more. "You know, I've been thinking, it's been a while since you and I took a training trip."

Akane picked up on the idea immediately. "Take him along as well? That just might knock any tendency toward laziness out of him. Maybe between New Year and the start of the next school term?"

"What's training trip?" Hitomi wanted to know. She was sitting in her mother's lap, with only her face peeking out from the towel which enveloped her.

Akane hugged the girl tighter. "It's where mommy and daddy go away for a few days to practice martial arts."

"You'll get to stay with grandmama while we're gone," Ranma added.

"Yay!" the girl exclaimed. "Bounce on panda!"

"Yep," her father confirmed. "You can bounce on the panda's tummy _all_ you want!"

Akane shared a grin with her husband, then said, "You're planning to take Ryuma, right? It'll mostly be a camping trip for him, but we can teach him a little, and I think he'll be really excited by the idea. In fact, we should tell him about it now. It'll probably cheer him right up."

"Sounds good to me," Ranma confirmed. "We'll tell your dad at dinner and find out whether he'd like to join us, or stay here by himself. Or maybe he could go with Hitomi and visit my pop for a few days. Sometimes I think he might be happier if he moved in with mom and pop instead of living here with us, though of course he'd miss his grandkids terribly."

Akane nodded, then carried her daughter out to get her dressed. Ranma stood up out of the water and grabbed his towel. While he dried himself off, he wondered if he should try to get Akane to talk about the coming holiday. Or whether it would just make things worse.

* * *

Later that night when Akane came downstairs from putting the children to bed, she found her husband sitting out on the engawa. She stepped outside and sat down to join him, leaning her head against his shoulder, watching her breath steam in the air. She gave a small shiver as she commented to herself that although the temperature might be well above freezing, five to ten degrees still wasn't exactly balmy. -2- 

"Kids in bed all right?" Ranma inquired quietly.

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "Ryuma put up a bit of a fuss. He says he should get a later bedtime now that school is out."

Ranma chuckled, but made no response. Akane then said, "I peeked in on your class tonight. They seem to be coming along nicely. You know, though, it feels strange to call it an 'advanced' class when you're showing them things that I learned at age eleven."

He gave her a rueful grin. "And that I learned at eight. I know. Still, they didn't have our advantages, if you want to call it that. I think they're doing pretty well, too."

Ranma paused, while he put his arm around her and pulled her in, to hold against himself. He knew that he was less sensitive to the cold than Akane, a legacy of living out of doors for so much of his youth. He felt her snuggle in closer.

Ranma spoke again, to ask a question. "I forget, whose turn is it to go over and teach the class at the police academy tomorrow?"

Akane slapped a hand against his chest. "Yours, baka, and you know it, so don't try to palm it off on me. I have to do some last minute shopping for gifts tomorrow. Not that I wouldn't mind getting out of it, as crowded as the stores are going to be. Want to swap chores?"

He snorted softly. "On second thought, I'll stick with the cadets. Christmas is getting pretty close, isn't it?" As he said this, he watched his wife out of the corner of his eye. A dark cloud passed across Akane's face, and he felt her stiffen in his arms.

Ranma turned his face toward her, burying his mouth in her hair, smelling its scent as enticing to him as a perfume. Speaking quiety but firmly, he suggested, "Akane ... love ... don't you think it's time you put this behind you? Christmas should be a happy time. What he did was wrong, I won't argue that, but you've let him hurt you doubly, by stealing the pleasure you used to take in Christmas. I wish I could see the joy that I remember on your face at this time of year when we were younger."

Akane closed her eyes, feeling the old pain in the pit of her stomach. She watched helplessly as her mind's eye returned to a Christmas morning not long before she and Ranma were married.

* * *

... Akane came running in from the yard, carrying her pet pig. "Look everyone! P-chan decided to show up for Christmas! How's mommy's little baby doing?" She rubbed her nose against the upper surface of the pig's snout. "Goodness but it's been a long time! You hardly ever come home anymore. Have you found a lady friend, somewhere?" 

"I'm betting he has," Ranma said, thinking of Akari Unryu. He knew that Ryoga Hibiki was living with her on her farm these days, and had talked about proposing to her, but never seemed to get around to it. Ranma scowled at the little pig. "So I wonder what he's doing here sniffing around someone else's fiancée."

"Oh, Ranma." Akane pouted in his direction. "He's just a pig. Why do you have to act so jealous?" She sat down beside Ranma, cradling P-chan in her lap. Her eyes lit up, and her smile grew until the room seemed brighter. "Now isn't it time to open the gifts? Which ones should we start with?"

"This one is for both of you, from myself and your fathers," Nodoka, her future mother-in-law, remarked as she handed an envelope to Akane.

Akane opened it eagerly, to pull out a slip of paper and a receipt. "Reservations at an inn?" She asked for confirmation.

"Yes," Nodoka beamed happily. "For your honeymoon. A very exclusive one. It's a hot spring resort."

"That's right," her husband Genma agreed heartily. "Lots of privacy. So the two of you can get started right away on producing an heir."

Before either Ranma or Akane could react angrily to this statement, Nodoka grabbed the sheathed katana lying beside her and swung it in Genma's direction. He jumped sideways from his sitting position, bumping into Akane's oldest sister, Kasumi. The latter had just walked in from the kitchen with a tray containing several cups of hot mulled cider. The cups went flying in all directions, dumping their contents indiscriminately on everyone.

And one cup in particular landed on the pig in Akane's lap. Who transformed instantly into a young man, specifically Ryoga Hibiki. A very naked young man, who turned his face toward Akane's with an expression of horror.

In a flash of clarity Akane realized how she had been deceived, how this boy had used his curse to sneak into her bed, to betray her trust. This boy whom she had thought was her friend. She cursed her own stupidity for not having seen the truth long ago, as she slowly reached out and lifted a gigantic mallet.

Ranma finally stopped her long after she had pummeled Ryoga into a bloody wreck. She stared numbly at the nightmare lying prostrate at her feet, wanting someone to tell her that it wasn't real, that she'd wake up and it would be Christmas morning, time to unwrap the presents. With an inarticulate cry of rage, Akane turned and ran. ...

* * *

Akane finally succeeded in suppressing the rest of the old memory. Not that there was much more to it. She had run that day for what seemed like hours, until Ranma had finally caught up to her and held her while she cried herself out. Then came the angry words that were exchanged when Ranma explained why he hadn't told her, and the tense days that followed until she forgave him for not breaking his sworn oath. 

Her hands gripped the front of Ranma's shirt, and Akane sought for words to explain. "I ... wish I could, Ranma. I remember how much I used to love Christmas, but it's like I'm standing outside, looking into a brightly lit room through a window. I go through the motions for the children's sake. I don't know how to recover the way I used to feel. I'm ... sorry."

"Hush, now," Ranma told her. "There's no need to apologize. I understand. I just hope that one of these years, you'll rediscover your old feelings for the day." He kissed the top of her head. "You're getting cold. Why don't we go back inside now, where it's warm? I could give you a back rub ...?"

"Mmm, that sounds like a good idea," she purred. Together, they climbed to their feet, and stepped back through the door. Silence soon fell across the house, except perhaps one could have heard some quiet giggles and murmurs if an ear was placed against a certain bedroom door.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, a man of pronounced dentition stood on a dock. He watched as the crew carefully unloaded the cargo he had brought with him. He then turned his eyes toward Tokyo, although anyone standing nearby would have sworn that he was facing across the sea toward Korea.

* * *

Christmas Eve arrived, and Akane was working on dinner. Through dint of enormous effort, on both her part and Ranma's, she had achieved a certain basic competence in the kitchen. She had long since resigned herself to the fact that she would never be the cook that her oldest sister and mother-in-law were, or even her own husband. Her forehead creased in small lines of worry as she wondered how late it would be before Ranma would be able to eat his portion of the meal. 

Earlier that afternoon they had received a frantic call from a nearby temple. It seemed that the priest's nephew had visited and accidentally torn a ward off an elaborately carved, tiny casket, thereby freeing the demon which had been imprisoned therein. He had begged for help in tracking it down and returning it to its prison. After a brief argument over whose turn it was, Ranma had gone out to hunt for it.

Akane looked out of the window at the rain which had started falling an hour ago, and gave a heavy sigh. Even without the storm, Ranma would likely have returned feeling frustrated and short-tempered due to whatever trouble the demon might cause before he could stop it. Now, on top of that, he would be returning in his female form, which even after all of these years still tended to make him irritable. Not to mention he would be missing dinner with his family on Christmas Eve. Sometimes it seemed like it was just one thing after another.

Akane heard the front bell ring, and quickly washed her hands of the mess from the chicken she was preparing. When she opened the door she just stood there, startled, staring at the woman in front of her. Said woman tilted her head slightly to the side, regarding Akane's open but silent mouth.

Finally Akane shook herself and greeted her guest. "Akari! I mean, Hibiki-san! What are you doing here?" She frowned in puzzlement and looked around with a sense of disquiet, finally noticing the huge pig by the front gate. Quietly, and in a dead monotone, she asked, "Your husband isn't with you, is he?"

"No," answered Akari. "He would not break the promise he made never to return here. However, he wanted to give something to both of you. A gift. Are you aware that Ryoga writes stories about various exotic locations he visits, and sells them to magazines?"

"Yes," Akane snorted. "As a matter of fact, I do know that. I must admit, it seems like a surprisingly sensible use of his 'talent'."

Akari gave a small, tight smile. "Isn't it? It was my suggestion at first, but it's worked out fairly well. He has come to enjoy some of the places he sees, rather than merely being upset to find himself there. And he has learned to write interesting articles which people enjoy reading. Still, that's not exactly why I'm here."

She took a deep breath, then went on. "You see, the notes for his next article were written in western China, the Qinghai province in fact."

"Jusenkyo," breathed Akane. "Are you telling me he was at Jusenkyo recently?"

Akari nodded her head, and Akane looked once more at the pig, Katsunishiki. She saw that there was a large object slung on either side of the animal, and began to tremble in hope. "Is ... is that what I think it is?" she whispered, pointing.

Akari nodded again, happily. "Two casks of Nanniichuan water. One for Ranma-san and the other for his father. I'll be delivering the second after I leave here."

Akane began trembling. After all of these years, it seemed impossible to believe. Could Ranma really be cured of his curse? She managed to choke out the words, "Thank you." It seemed impossible to say anything else at the moment.

With a bright smile, Akari asked, "Could you help me to carry a cask inside? They're rather heavy."

Akane nodded, and together they walked over to Katsunishiki. While rivulets of rain ran down Akari's cloak, she untied the cask on one side of her famed sumo pig. Shaking water out of her eyes, Akane caught the cask, and lifted it over her shoulder carefully. She exercised extreme care, realizing the danger should any accident cause the water inside to spill.

A few minutes later and the precious gift was stored in her bedroom, with the door locked. Akane turned to her guest and finally spoke again, "I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me, how much it will mean to Ranma. Would you join me for some tea? Something to warm you up before you need to go back out into the rain again?"

Akari nodded, her face pensive. "I would like that very much. Thank you."

The two women were soon seated across the table from one another, the atmosphere still a little uncomfortable between them.

"So ..." Akane spoke hesitantly. "Does this mean that ... the little pig ... is no more?"

Akari frowned, then nodded. "Yes. When Ryoga realized that he was standing in Jusenkyo valley, he says that he froze in place, hardly daring to move. He stood there and called, until Plum ran up. By the way, he says to tell you that she's married now."

Akane smiled. "Ranma will be interested to hear that."

Akari shrugged, never having met the daughter of the Jusenkyo guide. "Anyway, he asked Plum to help him find the Nanniichuan, and when she did, he immediately jumped in. So now he's cured, and you'll never see 'the little pig' again." She smiled at this, but there was a touch of sadness in the smile as well.

Continuing with her story, she reported, "After he climbed back out, he said that he begged Plum to bring him a couple of casks, while he stood there. He filled them with water from the pool, then she took him back to the house where he met her father again, and her new husband. He shared a meal with them, then told them he wanted to find his way home again as quickly as possible, so he left right away.

"That was about a month ago. Not too bad for my sweetie ... um, Ryoga, that is. He hates when I call him that to others. He hasn't said much about the trip home, but I gather it was a bit of a nightmare for him. He was constantly afraid that he was going to lose the water somehow and never find it again, or some accident would split them open. He practically turned cartwheels when he reached the farm last night and realized that he was in time to deliver them before Christmas. He begged me to bring them here today.

"So here I am. I don't think he'll be able to relax until I get back home and tell him that I turned them over safely." Akari finally wrapped up her story, then sat there, studying Akane's face across her teacup.

Akane informed her guest very seriously, "You must tell your husband that we are extremely grateful for his gift, and all of the effort that he went through to get it to us. It is ... a very good thing that he has done."

Akari's head tilted again, considering. "You still have a hard time saying Ryoga's name, don't you?"

"I ... yes, I suppose that I do," Akane confessed. "It's been years since I referred to him by any name other than 'Hibiki,' and even that only rarely. It's habit by now. But you may tell ... Ryoga-san ... that I will think better of him, after this."

There was a little sadness in Akari's eyes, and a plaintive note in her voice, as she asked, "Please, Saotome-san, won't you consider forgiving Ryoga? Especially now?"

Akane returned Akari's gaze and her features grew less animated. Deliberately misunderstanding, she replied, "I am unaware of anything he has done in the present which requires my forgiveness."

Akari sighed, feeling old pain in her heart. "I am of course speaking of the past, not the present."

Shaking her head, Akane let the mask slip. There was sadness in her eyes also, together with an echo of past anger. "Did your husband ask you to ask this of me? Was his gift meant as a bribe, then?"

Akari shook her head. "No. He does not believe that forgiveness is possible, but I had hoped ..." Her voice trailed off.

Akane shook her head slowly, radiating regret for the irreparable loss of a friendship she had once valued. Her voice when she spoke held no animosity, but also little warmth. "I am sorry, Hibiki-san. There are some things which cannot be forgiven. Some betrayals cut too deep."

She gave a lingering sigh, then went on, this time much more warmly. She was also smiling a little. "However, in exchange for his gift, you may tell ... Ryoga-san ... that I know he is no longer the boy who betrayed me. That I know he has grown to be a man who values his honor. Let the past be buried. I have enough cares to occupy me in the present."

Akari gave a tentative smile also. "Well ... it is not as much as I may have wished, but certainly a great deal more than Ryoga had dared to hope. I believe that your words will please him greatly. He honestly thought that he could never make up for what he did."

Akane nodded. "I doubt that I would ever again feel comfortable in his presence. But ... any debt which he may feel that he owed me, he has now repaid. This will relieve a burden not only for Ranma and myself, but one which our children were starting to feel as well. Although ..." Her eyes crinkled. "I am very much afraid that Hitomi will miss having 'Grandfather Panda' to play with."

The other woman shared a real smile with her at that comment, then rose and excused herself. "It has been a pleasure, Saotome-san, however I still have another delivery to make. And it is Christmas Eve. I wish to get back to my own husband and children before it gets too late. I wish you and your family a Happy Christmas, and may your New Year be blessed as well."

"Thank you, Hibiki-san," Akane replied, rising as well to escort her guest out. "I hope that you and your family also have a Merry Christmas, and that the New Year will be a good one for you. Once again, please convey our warmest thanks and gratitude to Ryoga-san, for what he has done."

When they stepped outside, Akane noticed that the late afternoon air was growing noticeably colder. It seemed that the weatherman would prove correct about the dropping temperatures. Of course, it only made the rain all the more miserable, and she thought with sympathy of poor Ranma out there tracking down some demon.

Akari swung her cloak back over herself, then stepped out into the rain and climbed once more atop the mountain of a pig. They trotted out through the gate and vanished from sight. Seconds later, as Akane was turning to go back inside, her father Soun Tendo came striding through the gate.

"Oh, Akane!" he called. "Did my eyes deceive me, or was that Akari Hibiki who just left?"

"Merry Christmas, daddy!" Akane exclaimed, startling the older man considerably as she pulled him into a hug. He had grown accustomed to the lack of sentiment she had for this day, except for the show she put on for his grandchildren. "Yes, that was Hibiki-san. She came by with a gift for Ranma. However, it's a surprise, so I'm not telling you what it is until after Ranma gets it." She poked a finger into his chest playfully, then spun around and hurried back inside.

Shaking his head bemusedly, Soun stepped inside and removed his shoes. As he settled down in the family room with his newspaper, he was again startled to hear Akane whistling a Christmas song in the kitchen. He wondered what had happened while he was out, and what sort of gift the Hibiki's had dared to send to this house. However, his musings were interrupted when a young boy and girl, finished with whatever game they had been playing upstairs, came tearing into the room and pounced on him.

* * *

Ranma finally dragged back into the house, exhausted and dripping wet, with about twenty minutes to spare before midnight. Akane greeted him at the door and, despite his currently female form, embraced him firmly and kissed him soundly. 

"Welcome back, love!" she greeted him cheerfully. "Daddy and the kids are all in bed. Come on into the kitchen, and I'll have your dinner warmed up in a few seconds. Then I'll go prepare the furo while you eat."

Ranma cocked an eyebrow. "You seem to be in a good mood."

Akane nodded happily. "You'll see why in just a little bit. Now come on. How'd it go with the demon?"

They entered the kitchen, and Akane took a plate of food out of the refrigerator and popped it into the microwave. As she started it heating, Ranma replied with a shrug. "I finally tracked it down, and we got it back into its box with a new ward. It caused a bit of trouble while it was out, but not a lot all things considered. Mostly it was just frustrating. I think it ran me over half of Tokyo today. Ucchan and Konatsu weren't half p.o.'d about the overturned tables and stuff when it decided to take a detour through the restaurant. Oh, and I could swear I saw Akari at one point, a couple of blocks away, riding on Katsunishiki. I wonder when she's finally gonna retire him?"

Akane gave him a knowing and mischievous smirk, at which he raised his eyebrows again, but she declined to provide any clues. She pulled his dinner out and put it on the table. "Here you go. Enjoy. When you're done, meet me in the furoba. I'll have the water nice and hot for you." She practically danced out of the room.

"What in the world's gotten into her?" Ranma asked himself quietly. He sat down at the table and caused the meal to rapidly vanish from the plate. A couple of minutes later the red-haired girl sat back with a contented sigh, then gave a small chuckle as he thought about the reaction he would have had a long time ago to eating a meal prepared by his wife. Helping her learn to cook properly had definitely been one of the smarter things he had done. He languidly climbed to his feet, thinking longingly of a warm soak to remove the memory of the chill rain.

Ranma undressed and entered the bathing room, noticing that Akane was nowhere in sight. The redhead quickly washed, then sank luxuriously into the hot water, finally reverting to his true male body. His insides were just starting to feel warm again when Akane walked in, a large cask carried upon one shoulder.

"Hello again," she chirped. "I have something here for you to rinse off with. I'm afraid you'll have to take care of it yourself. I don't dare risk getting any of it on me." She placed the cask on the floor beside the furo, turned so that the kanji spelling "Nanniichuan" was clearly visible.

"Is that ... is that ...?" He couldn't get the question out.

Akane nodded, her smile lighting the room. "Nanniichuan water, from Jusenkyo. A gift from Hibiki-san, who found himself there recently on his travels. He's already cured, and he sent another cask on to your father. That was probably when you saw his wife."

Ranma reached out, hands trembling. He then noticed something taped to the top. "There's an envelope here."

"Yes, I noticed," she replied. "I figured it was a note for you."

Her husband pulled it off and opened it, drawing out the single sheet of paper which was inside. After glancing at the top, he told her, "Actually, it appears to be addressed to you." He handed the letter over then started the hot water draining from the furo, the better to pour more water over himself without letting it fall anywhere else.

Akane unfolded the sheet of paper and read.

_Akane Saotome,_

_I write this knowing full well that you may choose to crumple it up and throw it away unread, and you would be fully within your rights to do so. However, I owe you the effort of my words regardless._

_When I look back on my teenage years, after my first arrival in Nerima, I reflect bitterly on what a fool I was. You extended true friendship to me, and I betrayed your trust. Worse, I compounded that betrayal by abusing the sense of honor of the man you came to love, so that he would keep my secret and I could continue my deception. I look back on this with shame for which there is no relief._

_I have of course previously offered you my apology, but I am well aware of how little consolation that was to you. I do not expect your forgiveness for the past, but even so I owe the both of you a debt. I hope that this little gift may, in some small way, be counted against that debt and allow you think a little less harshly of me in future._

_I wish you and your family all possible happiness._

_Sincerely,_

_Ryoga Hibiki_

Akane had a little trouble making out the signature, her vision blurred by eyes grown suspiciously moist. She had stepped well back from the furo while reading. She looked up to see that the hot water had finally drained out, and heard a sharp crack as Ranma used the edge of his hand to smash a hole in the top of the cask.

She watched as her husband lay his nude body down on the floor of the furo, holding the cask. With extreme care to avoid splashing, he slowly poured the water over himself, covering his body from head to toe. With the drain closed, the water level quickly rose to a depth of several centimeters, leaving his entire body partially submerged. He then lay there unmoving, and Akane intuitively realized he was worrying whether there was some amount of time he needed to be in contact with the water for it to take full effect.

After about five minutes, Akane suggested, "Ranma, I can't imagine you stayed in the original Nyanniichuan this long. Surely it must have taken effect by now?"

Ranma opened his eyes and gave her an attempted grin, though it fell a little short of being convincing. "I suppose so. I sure can't stay in here forever, anyway. Guess I'd better get out and test it."

He stepped out, and walked over to the nearby shower. He took a deep breath, then another and held it. Without giving himself time to hesitate any further, he stepped into the shower and turned the cold water on full blast. After several seconds, he opened his eyes and peeked down at himself.

With a wordless cry of joy Ranma jumped out of the shower, and swept Akane up into a bone-crushing hug. They were both laughing, and crying, and kissing. After a few minutes they started to recover and stopped dancing, especially as they realized they were wandering dangerously close to the furo. Ranma also realized that he was getting Akane's clothes drenched. With a helpless grin, he released his wife, then reached down into the tub and opened the drain. With a final gurgle, the cursed waters disappeared.

"Come on," Ranma told her. "We'd better get you out of those wet things."

They went back out into the changing room, where Ranma dried himself while Akane stripped off her damp garments. They both donned yukata, before making their way to their bedroom. In the room, Ranma looked at the bed, thinking about how to celebrate, then listened to the sound of the rain drumming on the roof and window.

"Akane?" he said, a little hesitantly. "Let's get dressed again. I want to go out for a walk in the rain with you."

Akane thought about protesting that it would be rather chilly, but bit the words back. She knew what he was thinking, that all previous walks they had taken in the rain had been conducted as two females. This was a way of marking the occasion, of doing something which had previously been impossible. She gave him a smile and nodded her agreement.

A short time later they were walking down an empty sidewalk, arm in arm, man and woman, approaching an equally unpopulated park. They had no umbrellas, instead letting the rain freely pour over them and run in little paths across their faces, to slide down their necks and under their collars, running from there down their chests and backs.

"Sorry we're getting soaking wet, especially as cold as it's getting," Ranma apologized.

Akane snuggled in closer as they walked. "It's all right, Ranma. I don't mind. Besides, if I catch a cold, I'll make you wait on me hand and foot to make up for it." She was answered with a snort.

As they stood in the park, the light from the lamps started to glint a little differently from the falling drops. Before long they realized that this was because some of them weren't drops, but were instead slowly falling flakes of snow. Over the next quarter of an hour it stopped raining entirely, and instead they were surrounded by swirls of gentle snowflakes.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Akane offered, shivering slightly as she spoke.

"Yeah, it is," Ranma replied softly. "Almost as beautiful as you." He turned to his wife and kissed her, softly, lovingly, with a promise of passion to come.

When their lips slowly separated, Akane lay her cheek against Ranma's chest, looking past his shoulder at the snow coming down. "We owe this night to Hibiki-san," she whispered with a touch of wonder. "Ryoga, that is, although Akari also. I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow morning."

"That's good," Ranma answered, "because according to past experience, the kids will be jumping on our bed before dawn."

Akane nodded, smiling at the thought of her two lovely, mischievous, occasionally frustrating, and wonderful children. She looked up into Ranma's eyes, a mischievous look of her own present. "Would you like to have a third one bouncing on the bed next Christmas?"

"Wha-what?" stammered Ranma. "Are you saying ... you want to ... um, another kid?"

Akane nodded once again, smiling happily. "We always talked about having three. Hitomi's fourth birthday will be in a few months. I think it's time. What do you say?"

"I say ... that's a good idea." His smile stretched from ear to ear. "In fact, it's a wonderful idea." He lifted Akane into his arms, and started walking back toward their home. "I think we should go home and get started right away, don't you?"

Akane snuggled into Ranma's warm chest and murmured her agreement, reaching her lips up to kiss him again as he carried her. As they left the park, the swirls of snow soon hid them from view. The muddy tracks which had been left behind gradually disappeared under the drifting flakes. By morning there was nothing to be seen but a pristine field of pure white, and in the Saotome home, five joyful souls welcomed the Christmas dawn.

**THE END **

* * *

**Author's note:**

-1- : oniisan - older brother  
-2- : 5-10 degrees Celsius is 41-50 degrees Fahrenheit.

In case it wasn't clear, the "five souls" in the last sentence are Soun, Ranma, Akane, Ryuma and Hitomi. I do not mean to imply that an addition to the household was conceived that same night.

I also realized after I completed the story that, although my original conception was that everyone is cured at the end, I never explicitly stated in the story that Genma successfully applied the cure to himself. So if you prefer, you may imagine that he screwed it up somehow, and that Hitomi still has her 'Grandfather Panda.'

Grr. While uploading this I came across another little quirk of FFnet. Apparently square brackets or asterisks are removed from documents.


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